Two community-based senior fitness clubs were established on National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU)’s Boai Campus and Guangfu Campusrespectively, to provide sufficient healthcareservices to elderly people in Hsinchu City.
Better health care services to elderly people are key to an aging society. NYCU was commissioned by the Health Promotion Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare to carry out its Senior Fitness Club program to improve Hsinchu city’s senior health care.
TSMC Charity Foundation Made It Happen
The senior fitness clubs were established to promote the philosophy of health and longevity proposed by TSMC charity foundation chairperson Sophie Chang, who contributed to the venue construction and introduced TSMC charity foundation’s volunteer service to the center.
TSMC Charity Foundation also worked with superintendent and Professor Liang-Kung Chen, Taipei Municipal Gan-Dau Hospital, as well as co-principal investigators chair, Prof. Heng-Hsin Tung, Department of Nursing, NYCU, Prof. Yea-Ru Yang, Department of Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology, NCYU and Prof. Wen-Liang Chen, Department of Biological Science & Technology, NCYU.
The student activity center on Boai campus and administration building on Guangfu campus were renovated to accommodate the new fitness clubs.
Smart Program for Elders
Officially launched on October 14, 2022, the fitness clubs feature systems based on the world-renowned smart mobility architecture and fitness equipment suitable for aging muscles to strengthen the upper and lower limbs, core muscles, and cardiopulmonary functions, thereby delaying aging, preventing disability, and establishing a smart technology-based exercise model for the elders.
Smart fitness training equipment and training platforms that feature high precision and AI evaluation functions can provide personalized evaluation and training prescriptions for the elders, targeting muscle strength, muscular endurance, aerobics, stretching, and balance training. Users can enable a plan-do-check-act model to evaluate their body condition by simply swiping cards on the equipment to log in. Their physical fitness assessment and accurate body mass analysis and testing will be immediately presented digitally.
The clubs also feature professional guidance from fitness trainers, who can offer precise and personalized exercise prescriptions. Health-related academic resources and professional health services are also provided through student community service learning, seed fitness trainers training, volunteer training, and the provision of intergenerational communications services.
Implementing SDG, Promoting LOHAS
To implement the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 — To ensure healthy lifestyle and promote well-being for all of all ages —, NYCU broke the boundaries between campus and community by integrating humanities, health, local technology industries, and neighbourhood. NYCU contributes to the realization of aging locally, strengthening positive campus-community relationships, and increasing community adherence and resilience.
With the launch of senior fitness clubs, a senior health promotion station has been established by the same team in the city’s Lushui Village with the support of the city’s public health bureau. The station provides activities for elderly people, such as fitness classes, life coaching, and information education courses, adding value to the health services of senior fitness clubs.
Through deepening its tie with the community, the senior health promotion station combines resources of the industry, government, academia, research institute, and society to achieve sustainability of health and LOHAS among elderly people.